Benchtop weight sorter for small items

Author: Srdjan Gavrilovic

Laboratory and engineering work often needs sorting of small object by weight, size, shape, color…1. An item is placed onto a scale by hand.2. A camera reads weight from display. Scale should not be hacked for digital output (but it can be extra property). The system should be able to use different scales with different level of precision by end user).3. Computing information on laptop. The first task is sorting into predefined weight categories. (Additional features are planned but do not necessary need to be implemented during official hacketon time. However, software platform should be established to allow their implementation. Please consult list of extra properties).4. A mechanical arm swaps the item from scale into sorter.5. Sorter distributes/disposes items into different containers as per assigned class (a simple rotation into predefined position with hollow gravity based fall through distribution tube/arm).

Extra properties.Counting and reportingTraining mode 1. A set of object (e.g. 5-100) is placed onto scale and detected one by one. Computer does distribution statistics and gives option for classification based on training set. E.g. 25% heaviest is class 1, next 25% -> 2, next 25% ->3 and lightest 25% -> class 4 (70%, 10%, 105 ,10% or some other that can be chosen by user).

Camera to recognize if 1 or 2 objects are placed on scale.

Camera to recognize different classes based on size, shape, color…

Training mode 2. Possibility to place an object onto scale and assignee a category to that object or to add it to an existing category.

Possibility to correct classification of an item into the right/another category if an error occurs.